Author's POV

Ritvik was about to say something when his words stopped in mid-air. Jaanki noticed it and looked at him while raising her brows; then she felt sudden stillness. That shift. Slowly, she turned around, and there he was.

Raghav Singh Rathore. Standing a few steps away. Wearing a navy blue shirt with ivory pants.

His gaze wasn't on her. It was on Ritvik, sharp and unmoving.

Ritvik straightened instinctively. The casual ease from moments ago

gone. Jaanki's eyes flicked between them. Raghav's gaze shifted. To her. And just like that, everything else disappeared.

''Miss Shekhawat.''

His voice was low and even, carrying that same quiet authority that somehow sounded more dangerous than shouting ever could.

"Office. Now." No explanation. No extra words. Just command.

Jaanki held his gaze and asked, "Abhi?"

"Do I look like I repeat myself?" he said quietly. Raghav's eyes shifted toward Ritvik sharply.

"And you," he said calmly, "if I find you wasting work hours again, you're fired.'' Ritvik nodded immediately and stepped aside.

Jaanki tilted her head slightly and muttered under her breath,

"Khadoos." Then louder, "Lead the way, then."

A flicker passed through his eyes. Gone before it could be named. He turned and started walking down the corridor without checking if she was following him. Jaanki followed, still mumbling under her breath.

"Nisachar Rakshas." He stopped suddenly. Which makes her collide with his back.

"Ow!"

She frowned, rubbing her forehead.

"Are you made of wall or what?" she snapped. Raghav didn't move immediately. Slowly he turned just enough to glance down at her.

"Where was your attention, Miss Shekhawat?''

She was about to argue back. Then she noticed something. He bent slightly to remove his shoes. She blinked, confused. Raghav stepped aside slightly, placing the shoes neatly near the entrance before looking at her.

"You should remove yours too."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Some places are not meant to be entered carelessly. My... workplace is sacred to me."

He stepped inside.

Jaanki started at his back for a second longer than necessary before sighing softly and slipping off her heels.

The moment she stepped inside, the cool marble floor met her bare feet.

Still faintly damp from recent mopping.

She didn't notice. She walked in.

Soft footprints followed behind her.

Dark. Clear. One after another. The white doormat caught them.

Jaanki looked around. Taking it in. The office was... minimal. Large glass windows. The city stretched beneath.

"So this is your sacred place?" she asked lightly. ''And not even one idol?''

Raghav stopped in midway. His gaze lowered to the floor. To the footprints trailing behind her. He leaned back against the desk, finally looking at her.

"To see the goddess," he said, his gaze lowering briefly to the footprints behind her, "you'd have to see through my eyes."

She frowned slightly.

"What does that even mean?" His gaze dropped once more. To the marks leading directly toward him. Claiming the space without knowing. A slow, unreadable smirk touched his lips.

"Nothing," he said calmly. Jaanki didn't understand. But something about the way he said it made the air heavier.

"Sit."

Raghav sat across from her, casually opening a file in front of him even though his attention wasn't really on the papers. It was on her.

"You like attention?" he asked.

Direct. She looks at him in confusion. "Is he having mood swings again?" She thought in her mind.

"Excuse me?" She looks at him in confusion.

"You heard what I said. Do you like attention?" he repeated.

"Is that what you think about me?"

Raghav's sharp green hazel eyes meeting hers directly.

"So, you care about my opinion?"

She clenched her fist and shook her head. "Why did you call me here?"

"Ritvik," he said suddenly. Jaanki's expression didn't change.

"What about him?"

His fingers tapped once against the desk. Light. Controlled

"Stay away from unnecessary distractions."

Her brows lifted faintly.

"Unnecessary according to whom?''

His jaw tightened almost invisibly.

''According to me.''

"Anything else?" she asked. He leaned back slightly.

"You don't scare easily." Not a question. A statement. Jaanki's lips curved faintly. "Should I?"

"Don't mistake this place for college," he said, his tone turning colder again.

"You may leave."

She looked at him in disbelief and stood immediately, more annoyed at herself than him now. As she turned toward the door, her gaze suddenly dropped to the floor. The footprints.

Pale red against white marble. Her brows pulled together instantly.

''This-''

Before she could finish, she felt a breath near her neck.

"Miss Shekhawat," he said quietly, "you leave your mark everywhere."

Her breath caught softly. Not because of the words. Because of how close he was while saying it.

"I ruined the floor."

"It can be cleaned."

"Still."

"I'll tell someone to clean it." He said calmly. She nodded and moved to leave. He caught her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she asked, startled. Without answering, he guided her back to the chair and gently made her sit. He leaned closer to her and said,

"Chup."

Then he goes outside to the door and comes back with her heels in his hand. She looked at him in confusion, but he ignored it and knelt down, making her freeze.

He placed one foot carefully over his thigh. The warmth of his hand against her ankle makes her aware of their closeness. Slowly, he slid the heel back onto her foot. Then the other.

"You don't need to do this," she said softly. "And you said it's sacred to you...so why shoes...?"

She pulled her feet back slightly.

He looked up at her. The faint marks from her damp feet were visible against his ivory pants now. And he noticed her staring at them.

"Because rules exist for people," he said softly. A pause. "Not for goddesses."

Her breath hitched instantly.

He held her gaze for one second longer before standing up slowly. Then casually adjusted his cuffs like he hadn't just completely ruined her ability to think properly.

"I mean," he added smoothly, "women should be respected. Every woman is a form of a goddess."

The words sounded polite. But his eyes said something else.

"Your pants are ruined."

He smiled and said, "Don't worry about it."

She just nodded and walked out of his cabin.

As soon as the door closed, Raghav picked up the doormat, which had her footprints.

He doesn't keep her photo. her name. He keeps her footprints.

As she stepped out of the office. The cool air of the corridor hit her face instantly, but it did absolutely nothing to calm the strange warmth. She didn't move immediately.

Why?

Nothing happened. He didn't say anything inappropriate. He didn't touch her... improperly. He didn't even raise his voice. Yet the image of Raghav kneeling in front of her kept replaying in her head in irritatingly sharp detail.

She walked faster as if that would somehow help her thoughts organize themselves.

"Boss ne daant diya?" Ritvik's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She looked up. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Waiting. Jaanki stopped.

"Not really," she said. Ritvik studied her face carefully for a second before his brows lifted slightly.

"Pareshan lag rahi ho."

"I am fine."

"Hm." His eyes narrowed faintly. ''Then why do you look like you just survived a war?''

''He's weird.''

"That's probably the nicest description anyone has ever given him." Jaanki frowned slightly and then, with a smirk, she said. "He called you a distraction."

Ritvik's brows lifted. "Already?" he muttered. Jaanki tilted her head. "You don't look surprised."

"I'm not," he said calmly. "He doesn't like... overlap."

"Overlap?" she repeated.

"With his people." The words sat oddly. Jaanki crossed her arms. "I'm not 'his people.'"

Ritvik smiled faintly. "You walked into his office on day one. That's already rare."

"And?"

"And you came out without getting shredded."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Ritvik didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he glanced at the closed door behind her. "You're interesting."

"I should leave," she muttered. And walked off. Ritvik watched her go.

The elevator doors slid shut. Jaanki leaned back slightly, finally letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Ridiculous," she muttered. The doors opened. She stepped out, walking toward the parking area. The evening had settled in. The glass building behind her reflected the fading orange light. Employees were leaving. Everything looked normal.

She reached her car keys. Then paused. That feeling again. That strange awareness crawling slowly over her skin. Like someone was watching.

Slowly she looked up. Top floor. Behind the massive glass wall stood a familiar silhouette.

Raghav.

One hand rested inside his pocket while the other held a coffee mug near his lips untouched.

He simply stood there calmly watching her like he'd been doing it long before she noticed. Jaanki narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Creep," she muttered softly. But she still didn't look away immediately.

And neither did he.

Then Raghav finally lifted the mug slightly toward her with a faint smile on his lips. Jaanki's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

"Unbelievable." Flustered instantly, she got inside her car and slammed the door harder than necessary.

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